Incinerator



Nov. 4, 1952 R. E. ZAHN- 2,616,378

- INCINEIRATOR Filed Feb. 15, 1950 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 E: 54 k L5 i i {muTi WMNTOR 5 Robert E Zahn Nov. 4, 1952 R. E. ZAHN 2,616,378

IN VE N TOR ji Robert E Zahn 96 /06 ffiW A fforneys R. E. ZAHNINCINERATOR Nov. 4, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 15, 1950 uvvavronRobe/f E. Zahn A fforneys R. E. ZAHN INCINERATOR Nov. 4, 1952 65heets-Sheet 5 0 WM W E r 8 m A Horneys m Mi:

Filed Feb. 15, 1950 R. E. ZAHN INCINERATOR Nov. 4, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 6Filed Feb. 15, 1950 Robert E. Zahn ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 4, 1952UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcs INCINERATOR Robert E. Zahn, MilwaukeeCounty, Wis.

Application February 15, 1950, Serial No. 144,230

22 Claims. (01. 1l0-18) This invention relates to improvements inincinerators and more particularly to the provision of an incineratorembodying a minimum number of parts of simple structural form which mayeither be shipped in knocked-down condition and easily assembled by thepurchaser or be preassembled and shipped to provide an inexpensive rigidgas tight unit of neat appearance and large capacity, and which willoccupy a minimum of floor space.

A primary object of the invention resides in the provision of cornercastings of novel construction having means for positioning courses offire-brick in vertically aligned relation to form the combustion chamberside walls of the incinerator, together with adjustable tie rodsconnecting diagonally opposite corner castings at their upper and lowerends to tightly bind said castings against the ends of the fire-brick.

A further important object of the present invention resides in theprovision of a knock-down,

grateless incinerator structure having novel metal skeletonized cornerframe elements provided with vertically arranged air inlet ports toapply the air torch method of combustion, and front charging door, frontash door, and top flue connection castings adapted to cooperate withdiagonally disposed tie rods to connect said corner frame elementstogether to receive and maintain built-up, mortarless, fire-brickcombustion chamber walls in assembled relation.

Another object of this invention is to provide reinforcing uprights forthe combustion chamber walls designed to overlap the abutting ends ofadjacent courses of fire-brick to prevent inward buckling of thecombustion chamber fire walls, particularly in event of shipment ofpreassembled units. if I v A further object is to provide charging andash door frames assembled between and rigidly bolted to the front cornercastings, together with a separate top casting having provision for theconnection of an outlet flue and adapted to be bolted to the chargingdoor frame and the rear corner castings.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an incineratorstructure in which firebrick are also assembled between the verticallyspaced door frames together with an outer facing sheet of hard asbestosbetween said frames and the fire-brick, and similar facing sheetsbetween the corner castings covering the outer faces of the side andrear fire-brick walls of the incinerator.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of verticallyspaced openings extending through certain of the corner castings toinsure the supply of air in adequate volume :to the interior oftheincinerator for the complete and rapid combustion of the garbage andother refuse material placed therein.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention comprises theimproved incinerator and the construction and relative arrangement ofits several parts as will hereinafter be more fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings and subsequently incorporatedin the subjoined claims.

In the drawing, wherein there are illustrated practical embodiments ofthe invention and in which similar reference characters designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a preferred form of the improvedincinerator of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 3-3 ofFigure 1;

Figure 4 is a top plan view before final com pletion of the assembly byattachment of the top closure plate;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantiallyon the line 5--5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a detailed horizontal section through one of the frontcorner castings and adjacent fire-brick walls taken substantially on theline 6-6 of Figure 1;

Figure '7 is a detailed vertical section of the top casting takensubstantially on the line 1-'| of Figure 4;

Figures 8 and 9 are detail sectional views taken substantially on thelines 8-8 and 9-9 respectively of Figure 4;

Figure 10 is a detail vertical section on the line Iii-l0 of Figure 4illustrating the connection of one of the top tie rods to one of thefront corner castings;

Figure 11 is an elevational view on an enlarged scale of one of thecorner castings;

Figure 12 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on theline l2l 2 of Fig-ure 11;

Figure 13 is a top plan view of the corner casting of Figure 11;

I Figure 14 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line I i-I4 ofFigure 12;

Figures 15, 16' and 17 are similar horizontal sectial views taken on thelines l5-l5, I6-I6 and l'l-I 1 respectively of Figure 12;

Figure 18 is an exploded perspective view of one of the front cornercastings and the charging and ash door frames secured to the other frontcorner casting;

Figure 19 is a perspective view of the improved incinerator structure inpartially assembled condition.

Figure 20 is a detail fragmentary elevation of a means for strengtheningthe side walls of incinerator combustion chamber of large capacity;

Figure 21 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 2l--2l of Figure 20;

Figure 22 is a fragmentary vertical section illustrating a slightlymodified embodiment of the incinerator; and

Figure 23 is a detail horizontal section taken substantially on the line2323 ofFigure 22-.

Referring in further detail to the drawings, the body of the incineratorcomprises four identical castings lEl, upper and lower charging and ashpit door frames l2 and [4' respectively, disposed between and rigidly:connected" to. front corner castings |',.a1 top. casting assembly l6rigidly connected to the door? frame. [2. and to the rear cornercastings Hi}. and. combustion chamber walls of a fire-brickassembledbetween and. rigidly fixed in position by: the corner castingsIll.

The'corner castings: izillare of the same: general form andconstruction. As shown. in Figures 11 to 1.7 inclusive, each of thesecastings has a body portion l8 which is generallyof arcuately curvedform in cross section providing side flanges 28' extending throughoutthe length thereof. at an angle. of substantially 90 degrees to eachother. When in its. assembled position the convex surface of the bodywall I8 of. said castingsfaces outwardly and this wall, between the sideflangesi20 is formed to provide a trough or channel 22 terminating inspaced relation from the opposite ends of the casting and interrupted atvertically spaced points by theahorizontal' webs 24. Theside walls 26 ofthis trough or channel are disposed substantially at. right angles tothe flanges 29 of the casting and the base wall of the trough is formedon theinner side of the casting with a longitudinally extending rib 28provided with relatively thick portions or bosses 33 at verticallyspaced points. Air inlet openings 32 extend inwardly and downwardlythrough the bosses 30. They are preferably provided in both the frontand rear corner castings l8 and adapt the incinerator of this inventionfor operation in accord with the socalled. air torch principle ofcombustion which effects a burning of the contentsv from the. top

downward and eliminates the need for. grates and. assures adequate airfor combustion whether the incinerator is full. or only partially full.

Passages 32 for the small incinerator, as illustrated' in Figures 1'through 19 of the drawings, are all arranged at approximately a downwardinclination toward the geometrical center of the combustion chamber.Each corner casting is provided with seven equally vertical spacedpassages. The combinedvolumetric capacity of these passages issubstantially less than the capacity of the flue connection. As aconsequence, when the incinerator is connected to a suitable chimneyflue the air is injected into the combustion chamber through passages 32at high velocity and sweeps downwardly through the entire area of thecombustion chamber before escaping through the flue connection. Thisinjection of air not only assures vigorous and complete combustionduring firing periods but also causes the air to penetrate deeply intothe mass of refuse to be burned thereby effecting a preliminarydehydration of any wet refuse. This dehydration function continues evenduring non-firing periods, unless the flue damper is closed, due to thenormal chimney flue action.

As the cross-sectional dimensions of the incinerator are increased, ithas been found desirable to change the axial direction of certain of thepassages or to alter the shape of the discharge end of the passages 32to assure sweeping of the entire incinerator area with air. For example,alternative vertical passages may be inclined away from the center andslightly toward the adjacent side walls or the discharge end of thepassages may be given a fan shape to spread the ejected air stream overa widened area. Either of these changes will produce the desired resultand assure vigorous and complete combustion and. suitable dehydrationeven in larger sized incinerators.

The; corner castings below. the upper end thereof are each formed with aflange 34 pro-- jecting inwardly fromthe body wall thereof andintegrally connected with the upper end. wail. of. the trough 22: toprovidea supporting seat: for the top casting assembly I 6 when they areused asrear corner castings This flange has a lug or extension 36(Figures'12. and 1-3.) provided with an opening 38 to receive a long.stove bolt 40 whereby the top casting assembly 16 is rigidly connectedto the. corner castings l-(l.

Each corner casting at its extreme upper end is further provided on theinner side of the body wall [8 with a, boss 42 and a' tie rodreceivingopening 44- extending. horizontally therethrough. A verticaltapped opening 36 of. relatively small. diameter intersects the opening44- at the. upper. side thereof for a purpose to'bev presently pointedout.

Atits lower end, each corner casting L0 vertically spaced horizontallydisposed flanges 4a projecting inwardly from thebody wall. is. thereof,and said wall, adjacent to. and above flange 48 is provided with a tierod. receiving opening. 50. Side flanges 26 of each front-corner castingID are provided with vertically spaced. openings 52 adapted to receivestove bolts. 54 for rigidly securing the door frames I 2- and It! to'said corner castings as seen in' Figure3 of the draw ings.v Since theopenings 52 are not used to secure frames l2 and I4 in place are coveredby the overlapping edges of the exterior finish panels, the presence ofthese unused: openings is: in no way objectionable.

The charging door. frame- I2 is; formed withan inwardly turned hollowbead 56 along. its

upper edge in partially overlying,- vertically spaced relation to arelatively wide; topflange 58. A plurality of spaced vertical webs 60re-- inforce bead 5S and flange 58 to impart rigidity thereto andprovide spaced seats for the top closure plate to be hereinafterdescribed.

As shown in Figures 2 and 4 of thedrawings, the top casting assembly l6comprises a rectangular section. 62 having marginal upstanding flanges64. The two rear corners of this casting: are formed at an angle ofsubstantially degrees so as to seat upon the flanges 3 of the rearcorner castings and not interfere: with the upstanding corner castingwallsection bearing. boss 42. The flanges are notched asshown at 66 inFigure 7 to receive the tie rods when it becomes necessary to raisecasting- 52- sufficiently to permit insertion of the top course of brickand the asbestosstrip between casting 62 and the top course of brick.

Section 62 of the top casting near its rear edge is also provided with aflue opening defined by an upstanding cylindrical neck 68 to which aflue pipe for the incinerator is adapted to be connected. Diagonallydisposed reinforcing webs I8 integrally connect the wall of the neck 68with the marginal flanges 64 of the casting. Additional spaced parallelwebs 12 extend forwardly from the neck 68. These webs are integrallyjoined with the front flange 64 and together with the lower wall ofsection 62 define a pocket 13 for a purpose to be hereinafter pointedout. The casting section 62 is also formed along the lower front edgethereof with a projecting flange 14.

A separate relatively narrow casting section 16 completes the topcasting and has one of its ends disposed between webs I2. This end ofcasting section I6 is rigidly secured to the casting 62 by spaced stovebolts I8. The other end of the casting 16 is connected to the center ofthe top flange 58 of the charging door frame I4 by stove bolt 86positioned through a slot 82 in said flange. Casting I6 is also formedwith a plurality of upstanding webs forming sand receiving pockets andis provided along each longitudinal side edge with a laterallyprojecting flange 84. Adjacent to its rear edge and parallel therewith,the top casting 62 is provided with a depending flange 86 for a purposewhich will be later'explained.

The upper ends of diagonally opposite corner castings I0 are connectedby the tie rods 88, said rods being inserted through the openings 44inthe respective corner castings and extending over the top castingsections 62 and I6. Each tie rod.

at one end is threaded to receive an adjusting nut 90 hearing againstthe outer convex surface of one corner casting while the other end ofthe tie rod is formed with a hook 9| the terminal of which is seated ina recess 92 in the outer surface of the diagonally opposite cornercasting I8. Similar tie rods 94 are also inserted through the openings50 in the lower ends of diagonally opposite corner castings and adjustedby means of the nuts 96. These lower tie rods are covered by a layer ofsand 98 laid uponthe floor'or ground,

surface upon which the fire-bricks I88 forming the floor of thecombustion chamber are positioned. Outer edge portions of bricks I80 arein=- v serted between the flanges 48 on the lower ends of the cornercastings, the sand layer 68 being of such thickness that the bricks havereasonably close fitting contact with the upper flanges 48.-

The brick I80 at the front of the combustion chamber also extend betweenvertically spaced flanges I02 formed on the ash door frame 14.

The opposite side and rear walls of the combustion chamber consist ofsuperposed courses of fire-brick I04, asbestos stripping I86 beinginterposed between the brick in adjacent courses and also between theopposed ends of the bricks in each course. Similar fire-brick I88 andinterposed asbestos strips III! are also inserted between the verticallyspaced door frames I2 and I4. The angularly related walls 26 of thecorner castings I0 provide abutment surfaces for the ends of thefire-brick, and asbestos strips I I2 are also preferably interposedbetween these abutment surfaces and the-flre-brick.

' Facing sheets I I4 of hard asbestos are inserted downwardly betweenthe side and rear fire-brick walls and the flanges 26 of the cornercastings II]. A similar asbestos facing sheet H6 also covers the outersides of the fire-brick I88 with its upper and lower edges disposedbetween the frames I2 and I4 and the fire-brick and its end edgesextending between the flanges 20 of the front corner castings and thefire-brick I08. As will be seen in Figure 2 of the drawings, the topcourse of the fire-brick in the rear wall at their upper edge portionsare ngaged against the outer side of the depending flange 86 on the topcasting 62.

The space between the rear top casting 62 and the charging door frame l4at the top of the combustion chamber is closed by fire-brick H8 as shownin Figure 4. Thus, at each side of the casting I6 fire-bricks IIB arepositioned with the outer ends of the bricks resting upon the uppercourses of brick in the side walls of the combustion chamber while theirinner ends and outer sides are supported by the flanges 84 on casting I6flange I4 on casting 62 and the inner marginal edge of flange 58.Asbestos strips I20 are interposed between the edges of the bricks andcasting 16 with similar asbestos strips I22 between the opposed sideedges of the brick. When assembled in the manner just described, meretightens ing of adjusting nuts 96 and 96 on the tie rods 88 and 94 willdraw the diagonally opposed corner castings toward each other therebyclamping top casting assembly I6 and the combustion chamber brickworktightly together so as to be securely held against relative displacementin a rigidly assembled unit. The asbestos stripping will be compressedunder this clamping action thereby producing airtight combustion chamberwalls.

All of the space above the fire-brick H8 and the castings 62 and I6 isfilled with sand, as indicated at I24 in Figure 2 of the drawing up tothe level of the upper edges of the facing sheets I I4. A flnal topsheet I26 of hard asbestos having an opening to receive the outlet neck68 is then applied with its forward edge disposed beneath bead 56 andits corners extending over the upper ends of the corner castings I6 andbeing secured thereto by screws I28 threaded into the openings 46 in theupper ends of said castings.

Preferably, in order to provide a smooth uninterrupted floor surface forthe combustion chamber, a sand and cement mixture is applied over thefire-brick I06 and fills all crevices between said brick and between theadjacent surfaces of the side and rear wall brick I I4 and the brickI86.

The charging door frame I2 at its lower end and at opposite sides of thedoor opening is provided with hinge lugs I30 upon which the chargingdoor I32 is hingedly mounted by means of suitable pintles I34. .The ashdoor frame I4 at one vertical side edge of the opening therein is alsoprovided with hinge lugs I36 upon which the ash door I38 is hingedlymounted by the pintles I46. Preferably the charging door I32 at itsupper end and centrally thereof is provided with an upwardly andinwardly projecting hook I3I receivable through an opening I33 in thedoor frame I2 when the door is moved to closed position. This hook haslatching engagement with the lower edge of said opening and is effectiveto prevent the door being blown open by back draft through thecombustion chamber. The doors I32 and I38 are provided with suitableopening hanclles I35 and I3! respectively and ash door I38 is alsoprovided with latch structure I39 of conventional form.

It will, of course, be understood that the several parts of theincinerator structure as above described are properly dimensioned inaccordance with: a: predetermined; combus ion chamber. c pacityandgthatg the, number; of fireebricksj which willbe requiredm rvarrinaccordance with; the size of? the. combustion chamber;

All. of the. metal; parts of. the above described incinerator structure,including; the necessary number; of. stove; bolts; screws hinge pintlesand other fastening elements; together with asbestos sheets i I 4, I I6and IE6, asbestos strip and cement for; attaching; the Strip tothefire-brick, are shipped" fromthe; factory to the purchaser in the form:of: a; compactv knocked-down kit for erection; either: outdoors orindoors. In either case, it). is necessary to; locate; the unit forconnection to; a, suitable; fluesstach. When:- used; indoors the house;furnace flue; is suitable: but;v the incinerator shouldinot beinstalledcloser than-1-2 inchesfrom anwunprotected combustible wall. After layingoutitheincinerator kit. and procuring the required number'of fireebrickthe incinerator may be rapidly. erected inthe following manner;

Haring: determined the exact location of the incinerator; the. outsidedimensions thereof are first. outlined-z upon the basement floor orothersupport surface. Two cornercastings liti!- the froniicorners: are then?selected; The door frames i 2 andi t l-:areattachedgto, theflanges 2B ofthese castings; through openings; 52 therein by means of: stove, bolts54. These; bolts fit loosely in the openings in. flanges. so. topermitslight vertical adjustment: to compensate for inaccuracies in brick:dimensions and shou-ldbe left comparatively-loose until alater assemblystep, The hard asbestos sheet H6 is then placed into position betweenthe. upper and lower; door frame castings, Witluthe. assembly layingface down on the basement floor. The necessarynumber of firebrick;1118:. are now pressed firmlyin-to place betwee'm the'doorscastingsq l2:and I4. upon the asbestos. facing sheet HG; This; front assembly isthen: raised. to; a vertical position and. the upper door-frame.|.-2.'is-.forced downwardly so as -to tightly clamp thezbricks I03between thetWo-door frames. Thestoye bolts. 51!: are: then; tightened tosecure thecornencastings,the; two door frames and the fire-brick: ina.rigidlyassembled unit. Referring fon-thiemoment to Figures 2-and 6, theouter ends of brick. H385 are: disposed in overlapping relation to the;sides of; bosses 36 as shown. Asa consequencehwhen thecorner castingsaredrawn into final: assembled position as hereinafterpointed out bosses30 will prevent inward movement of brick; IBB-at their, respective outerends.

The'rtop castings 62 and 16 are now rigidly connected; by-"means of thestove bolts 18 and the bolt. 80. is inserted through the, opening, inthe front: end of casting 1,5, anda nut is startedon the upper endthereof so that the bolt hangs loosely fromsaidcasting.

The. top-casting assembly is now loosely connected. tothe upper ends ofthe two remaining corner castings it) by means of the bolts 49. Theloose assembly is then set in position along the guide outlines on thesupporting surface and the four tie: rods 88 and 94 are inserted throughthe openingsinthe upper and lower ends of the diagonally opposed cornercastings with bolt 8;! slipped into. the slot 82 in the flange 58 on thedoor. frame. [4; The diagonally crossed tie rods 88. and: 94 extendingthrough the openings in the upper; and lower-ends of the corner castingsare drawn loosely together by tightening nut 98 by hand until theassembly approximately fits the outlinemarkingson the floor.

Theside and: rear. combustion chamber walls are now installed: by'successively inserting the courses of fire-brick Hi4betweenthezcorner'cast ings Ill from; the inner side thereof; the; brickbeing disposed: with, their end faces insubstantially-abutting contactwith. the Walls 2 5' of corner castings l-H. After; laying the first orbottom courses of; the fire-brick directly upon, the basementfloonthenuts. onthe two lowertierods; 94 are tightened until. a close but stillloose.- fitting assembly between the corner castings and lower course offire-brickis obtained. A similar adjustment of; the twotoptie rods-88'isthenr made so that the four corner castings will be substantiallyparallel. A suitablegaugemember isinserted between, the fire-brickandthe flanges 20 on the. cornercastings before tightening the; tie rods 94to assure sufficient clearance to receive the asbestos facing sheet l-M.

After layingthe first or bottom course-of firebrick for the side. andrearwa-lls and tightening the tie rods as above; explained. theremaining courses, of fire-brick are successively positioned in similar,manner in -superposed relationbetween the cornerv castings with theasbestos strip. betweeneachcourse of brick and-between the-bricks in;each course and between the bricks and. the corner castings Hi.

Inorder to assemble the last or top course of fire-brick it may benecessary to raise; the top casting; assembly 16- for; which. reason,the bolts 49- and. Bllwere not tightened in connecting said assemblywith the corner castings and flange 58. Preferably, astrip of asbestosisalso interposed; between the upper edge of the top fire-bricks and thetop casting: 6-2; After laying the top course of fire-brick in the.three walls the bolts to are then securely tightened. Referring toFigures 2, and 1 9, of, the drawings, it will. e se n. hat ch. end ickf; ach c ur e vertically centered with'respect to a; boss 30' of corner;castings I0; As these end. brick fit be.- hind bosses 30' as heretoforedescribed in con nection; with brick I 03, it will be appreciated thatinward movement of the-side walls at each corner-is effectivelyprevented; and proper, clamps ingismaterially aided.

The top fire-brick; lining; of the combustion, chamber isnow applied.Two of the; brick; l;| & are. first inserted at the rear end of castingI6: ben ath t e e. ods. 8; and: he mo orweir y un er said, tie. rods. vr h r ar edge of flan e; 58; on door framel l and into; sub stantialabutting Conta t with he webs. 60' of. saidframe, he inner nds of, saidicks, in supported cnthe side; flan es f hecastine- 16; and the: ther eds. th o n he: p c urse. of brick of the side; walls of the, combustionchamber. The rear bricl; I I8 areitheninserted with their rear; edgesresting; upon the flange 14 of casting 62. Any gap or space betweenthebrick and casting 62 and door frame l4 maybe filled with asbestosstrip. Strip I22 between the brick and I20 between the brick ends andcasting: 76 provide substantial seals.

After the assembly of themetal castings and fire-brick as. abovedescribed, theside and rear sheets. of hard asbestos 4- are theninserted with the smooth. surfaces thereof facing out.-. w irdly; Thesefacing sh ets are slipped verti-. cally downwardly betweenthe fire-brickandthe flan s 20; of the corner castings. I'll and are of such, lengththat with the lower edges thereof tightly bearing on the floor surface,their upper edges; will. then be substantially flush- With the tops of;the; co n r ca t gs; I0:- Theni ts 9t on.

T9. the four tie rods are then finally tightened against the cornercastings to bind the several elements of the assembly into a rigid unit,after which the bolt 80 at the forward end of casting 16 is finallytightened.

The top sand filling 24 is now applied, and the cover sheet I26 of hardasbestos is then secured to the corner castings by screws I28.

Before placing the fire-brick floor of the combustion chamber, the bedofsand 98, preferably a mixture of sand and cement, is first laid upon thesurface of the floor to a height covering the lower tie rods and toassure the fire-brick I being at the level of the ash door frame floorsocket defined by webs NH and flanges l02,

just below the ash door opening. The upper surface of this bed issmoothly leveled off so that the forward edges of the front course offire-brick 100 will slip between the flanges I02 into contact with thevertical edges of webs NH. The several courses of fire-bricks I00 coverthe entire floor area between the lower courses of brick in the side andrear walls of the combustion chamber except for the intervening spacesWhich are filled either with loose sand, or a thin cement and watermixture. Finally, the charging door I32 and the ash door I38 arehingedly mounted upon the frames [2 and 14 respectively in the mannerabove described.

The elbow end of a flue pipe (not shown) is then connected to the upperend of the outlet neck 68 of the incinerator, the other end of said pipebeing cemented in an opening provided in a side wall of the home furnacechimney or other suitable flue. However, if desired a T connection maybe installed in the smoke outlet pipe from the furnace with which theflue pipe from the incinerator may be connected. This pipe, in eithercase is provided with a suitable damper for regulating the draft throughthe combustion chamber of the incinerator.

In event it is desired to ship the incinerator of this invention inassembled condition, the assembly steps just described are carried outat the factory, the assembly preferably being made upon a sheet metalfloor laid on top of the lower tie rods. While the wall structure of theincinerator, due to the clamping action of the tie rods, is normallysufiiciently rigid to withstand handling, it may be desirable toreinforce the side walls against inward collapse under external blowsencountered in shipment. Such reinforcement can either be obtained bysuitable structural modification of the frame castings as hereinafterdescribed or, at less expense, by simple wooden shipping reinforcinginserts consisting of vertical risers l4lla (dot dash lines Figure 2)overlapping the brick courses at their ends and cross wedge elements Ml(dot dash lines Figure 2) driven in place to hold risers |40a in place.These reinforcing strips can either be removed at the time of installingthe incinerator or if desired may be left in place so as to be consumedby burning in use of the incinerator. While the wooden inserts areadequate in smaller sized incinerators where minimum expense is a primeconsideration, additional structural frame elements maybe provided ifdesired.

Such structural framing for incinerators of larger capacity, in whichthe combustion chamber walls have three or more fire-brick in eachcourse, is provided as shown in Figures to 23 of the drawing. Thisstrengthening means comprises spaced uprights each embodying a pair ofrectangular sheet metal channel bars M2 arranged back to back and spotwelded together. The lower ends of the side walls of said uprights areflared to receive the longitudinal side flanges of spaced base channelsections M4 and said base flanges are spot welded to the flared walls ofthe channel bars [42. The spacing between the uprights is determined inaccordance with the length of the fire-brick so that as the brickcourses are successively assembled the ends of the adjacent brick ineach course will be slidab-ly received within the oppositely facingchane The bricks in the lower 1- most course are also supported on thebase secnels of the bars I42.

tions I44 between the side flanges thereof. Thus ,the chamber walls arematerially strengthened and the bricks in each course are held in .ac-'curate alignment.

In case the complete incinerator unit, in-: cluding the combustionchamber walls of firebrick, is to be preassembled at the factory forshipment to the purchaser, the supporting sand layer 98 for the floorbrick Hill of the combustion chamber as above described, is replaced bya floor plate I46 (Figure 22). At the same time the channels IE2 andchannel section I44 pro-.' vide means to prevent the possible inwardcollapse of the fire-brick side walls, which might result fromheavyshocks during shipment or rough handling in loading and unloading.

From the above it will be evident that when the upper and lower tie rodsare tightened a very rigid assembly of the metal parts with therefractory fire-brick is obtained. As the firebrick are securely heldagainst relative displacement by the corner castings and channel barsl42inward collapse of the combustion chamberwalls is efiectively precluded.

In the use of the incinerator, garbage and other waste material isintended to be wrapped in paper before placing in the combustionchamber. This paper wrapped garbage together with other combustiblehousehold refuse such as Waste paper, cartons or the like is loaded intothe incinerator and preferably permitted to accumulate until it reachessubstantially the center of the charging door opening. The charge isthen ignited at the top, care being taken to see that the smoke pipedamper is open to a suflicient extent to permit the free escape of.

products of combustion through the smoke out.-

let flue and into the furnace smoke stack. Air.

will be drawn into the combustion chamber in adequate volume through theopenings 32 in the.

corner castings of the incinerator to support combustion and insure thefree burning of the. charge from the top down. The wet matter iseffectively dehydrated by the heat of the adjacent burning layer or theinduced circulation.

of air directed by openings inwardly and down-ev wardly across and intothe refuse material as heretofore described or both. Furthermore, the

air entering the openings 32 above the burninglayer is effective toasure combustion of generated gases and incompletely burned fly 'ash andrelatively smokeless and odorless operation due to this secondarycombustion. Whenthe ashes have accumulated on the floor of thecombustion chamber to substantially the: center. of the ash dooropening, they should thenberemoved.

It has been found that, for the, average: residential installation wherethe incinerator is con- I nected to a .6." or 8 diameter flue which alsoserves the heating system of the home, the diameter of the air supplyports or openings 32 should not be less than A" or greater than &"indiameter. As is well known, the intensity of combustion increases withVelocity of the air supplied to the combustion chamber. This velocity isproportional to the flue draft and dependent on the number and size ofthe air ports 32. The incinerator charge in an incinerator using atheair torch" principle as applied by this invention burns at a relativelyhigh temperature. Accordingly not .only the highly combustible portionof the charge but the normally non-combustible portion will be rapidlyconsumed, the brick walls will be highly heated and :retain-suffiicientheat to materially aid dehydration of the wet material or garbage belowthe burning area to render'it combustible.

By properly predetermining the number and diameter-of the ,ports 32 inthe corner castings in -relation :to the draft flue diameter and thesize of the combustion chamber, adequate air will ;be supplied tosupport both primary and secondary ,combustion and the charge will bepenetrated to the necessary-depth to dedydrate thep'moisture ladencontent thereof and assure its complete combustion. The velocity of theincomingair :streams determines the depth of penetration which may becontrolled for incinerators'of diiferentsizes by flaring the inner endsof :the ports or openings 32 so that air velocityis reducedand the airenters the chamber ina fan-shaped stream with correspondingly reducedpenetration of the charge.

;Si.nce.no grate is required, a charge receiving chambercf maximumcapacity is obtained, the burning out of metal parts requiringreplacement is avoided andeconomical, highly eihcient operation isassured. Ofcourse, 'it-will be understood, that f orinciner ators of thelarger sizes the air inlet ports '32 may be provided in corner castingsin greater number, larger size or both -.to assuresuifiicient air forhigh efficiency peration.

From the above description and the accompanying drawings ;it'will .beseen that this inventionprovides -a household incinerator, which, withthe exception of the fire-brick walls, comprises .a minimumnumber ofparts of simple and inexpensive z-structural form and comparatively:light weight which can :be compactly packaged and shipped ':to thepurchaser in a suitable-carton as a knocked-:downkit. Followin the aboveassembly instructions, the purchaser can rapidly and-accuratelyassemblethe several parts :together :with the fire-brick walls at the selectedlocation :to form a rugged, long life incinerator unit :of neatappearance and high efiiciency. As the-several parts of theincineratorscan be .rapidly fabricated by conventional quantityproduction methods of manufacture, production .cost -.is reduced to :a:minimum so that the purchase price thereof will be. appreciably .zless:thanathat .of :known incinerators now provided for the samejob.

"The invention may beembodied in .other specific forms without departingfrom the spiritof essential [characteristics thereof. The presentembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects-asillustrative and :not restrictive, the scopeof the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription,and all changes which come within the meaningandrange-of'equivalency of the claims are there'fore I intended to beembraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be securedby the United States LettersPatent is:

1. An incinerator construction -l it comprising four preformed cornercastings each having means to engage and position combustionchamberWalls of fire-brick; preformed upper and lower chargingand ash pit door:fraines respectively adapted to interconnect the upper and lower endsof a pair of said corner castings to form a front .frame structure,.hingedly mounted charging and ash pit doors on the respective frames;means adapted to secure said door frames between and to said :pair(if-corner castings; a preformed top casting assembly; means adapted tosecure said top .casting, assembly to the rear corner castings-and tosaid upper door,

frame respectively; preformed non-combustible exterior finish panelsadapted to 1111: between and close the back, sidewall, and topareasbetween said corner castings, and the front side wallarea betweensaid door frames and .said pair ofcorner castings; and preformed tie.rods having means to adjustably connect diagonally oppositecorn'ercastings at their upper and lower ends whereby said opposed cornercastings .may bedra'wn'inwardly with respect toeach other alongdiagonally intersecting paths to tightly clamp and retain userassembledfire-brick walls together and in assembled relation to said exteriorfinish panels, said corner castings, andsaid door-frames therebyfonninga rigid incinerator unit.

'2. A refuse incinerator-comprising four corner castings each havingabutment walls for engaging the vertical ends of mortarless fire-brickcombustion walls; -upper-and lower charging and ash pit doorframessecured to and respectively interconnecting the upper and lowerends of one pair ofsaid castings to form a front frame section havingvertically spaced charging :and ash -.pit door openings separated by apanel opening adapted to be closed bya fire-brick wall panel;

hinged doors respectively mounted in said door frames; 2. top castingassembly comprising aflue section secured to the upper ends of the otherpair ofcorner castings and a tie section extending away from an edgeof-'saidflue section toward said upper charging door ira-me andconnected to said door framezto locate said pairs of'cor'n'er castingsin fore and 'aft alignment; fire-brick walls-extendin downwardly fromsaid top casting assembly between aligned fore'and aft corner castingsand between said other I pair ofcorner castings, additional fire brickwalls in said panel opening and in theopen-spacesdefined by the upperends of said-downwardly extending fire-brick walls, said upper doorframeand said centrally disposed tie section and said flue-semtion;and-adjustable tie rods interconnecting the upper and'lowerends-ofdiagonally opposedpairs of-said corner castings andadapted upontightening thereof to draw each-of said other pair of cor-ner castingsinwardlyand toward its-respective diagonally opposed corner-casting tothereby draw the brickwork courses of said fire-brick walls into tightclamped engagement between said respective -corner castings whereby arigid incinerator unitis formed.

3. The incinerator defined by claim 2, inwhich each corner casting hasan inwardly-and-longitudinally extending central portion providingoppositely facingabutment wail-ls -for the fire-brick of therespectively intersecting combustion-chamber walls.

4. The incinerator-defined by claim wherein said tie section isrelatively narrow and said flue section, tie section, and charging doorframe are provided with supporting flanges for fire-brick partiallyforming the top of the incinerator combustion chamber.

5. The incinerator defined by claim 4, in which said flue section isprovided with an upstanding outlet neck for the connection of anincinerator smoke flue therewith.

. 6. The incinerator defined by claim 4 in which said corner castingsare provided with longitudinally spaced air inlet openings arranged toinject air inwardly throughout the combustion space provided by saidincinerator.

7. An incinerator comprising four corner castings each having means toengage and position combustion chamber walls of fire-brick; upper andlower charging and ash pit door frames respectively; means for securingsaid frames between and to the front pair of said corner castings; apair of top castings; means for securing said top castings to each otherand means for securing one of said top castings to the rear cor.- nercastings and the other top casting to said upper door frame; sideflanges on said corner castings to overlap the outer sides of thecombustion chamber walls; facing sheets of hard asbestos adapted to bedisposed with their side edges between said walls and the side flangesofthe cornercastings; and tie rods for adjustably connecting diagonallyopposite corner castings at their upper and lower ends to draw saidcorner castings into tight binding contact with the firebrick walls andform a rigidly assembled incineratorunit.

8. The incinerator assembly defined in claim '7. together with anasbestos cover sheet for said top castings and means for securing saidcover sheet to said corner castings.

9. An incinerator combustion chamber structure comprising front and rearcorner castings; upper and lower charging andash pit door frames; meanssecuring said frames between and to the front corner castin-s; a frontfire-brick wall between said door frames and front corner castings; sideand rear fire-brick walls between said corner castings; longitudinallyextending abutment surfaces on each of said corner castings disposed inangular relation to each other for contact with continguous side edgesof the adjacent fire-brick walls; and intersecting tie rods extendingthrough the upper and lower ends of diagonally opposite corner castingsand having adjusting nuts threaded thereon to draw said corner castingsinto tight abutting engagement with said contiguous side edges of thefire-brick walls thereby retaining said corner castings and fire-brickwalls in rigidly assembled relation.

10. An incinerator combustion chamber structure as defined in claim 9,wherein the corner castings are provided with vertically spaced airinjection openings; and means is provided for closing the top of theincinerator combustion chamber, including a casting assembly, and meanssecuring said casting assembly to the charging door frame and to saidrear corner castings.

11. An incinerator comprising front and rear corner castings; upper andlower charging and ash pit door frames, means securing said framesbetween and to the front corner castings; a front fire-brick wallbetween said door frames and front corner castings; side and rearfire-brick walls between said corner castings; longitudinally extendingabutment surfaces on each of said corner castings disposed inangular'relation to each other for contact withcontiguouslside edges ofthe fire-brick walls; longitudinal flanges angularly disposed withrespect to said abutment surfaces and overlapping the outer side edgesof said fire-brick walls; hard asbestos facing sheets covering saidwalls with their opposite edges interposed. between said flanges andsaid walls; and intersecting tie rods extending through the upper andlower ends of diagonally opposite corner castings having adjusting nutsthreaded thereon and retaining said corner castings and fire-brick wallsin rigidly assembled re1ation.-

12. An incinerator as deflnedby claim 11, to-' gether with a top castingassembly having an outlet flueconnecting neck and. adapted to partiallyclose the top of said incinerator; means securing said casting assemblyto the charging door frameand to the rear corner castings; firebrickclosing the remainder of the top of the incinerator combustion chamber;and supporting means on the door frame and top casting assemblycooperating with theupper courses of. said fire-brick walls to supportsaid fire-brick.

13. An incinerator as defined by claim 12, wherein said top castingassembly includes a.

main casting extending between the rear corner castingsand having a flueopening; and a relatively narrow tie casting centrally bridgin the spacebetween said main'casting and the charging door frame.

14. In a household incinerator, front and rear corner castings; upperand lower charging and ash pit door frames; means securing said framesbetween and to the front corner castings; a front fire-brick wallbetween said door frames and front corner castings; side and rearfire-brick walls between said corner castings; longitudinally extendingabutment surfaces on each of said corner castings disposed in angularrelation to each other for contact with contiguous side edges of thefire-brick Walls; longitudinal flanges along eachabutment surfaceoverlapping the I outer sides of said fire-brick walls; hard asbestosfacing sheets covering said walls with opposite edges thereof interposedbetween said flanges and said walls; a top casting assembly having anoutlet flue connecting neck; means securing said assembly to thecharging door frame and to the rear corner castings; fire-brick closingthe top of the incinerator combustion chamber; supporting means on thedoor frame and top casting assembly acting together with the uppersurface of said fire-brick walls to support said fire-brick;intersecting tie rods extending through the upper and lower ends ofdiagonally opposite corner castings and having adjusting nuts threadedthereon for retaining said corner castings and fire-brick walls inrigidly assembled relation; a cover sheet of hard asbestos secured tothe upper end faces of said corner castings; and an insulating layer ofsand between said cover sheet andsaid casting assembly and topfire-brick.

15. In a household incinerator as defined by claim 14, a combustionchamber floor comprising a layer of sand covering the lower tie rods andfire-brick superimposed thereon, said ash pit door frame and rear cornercastings havin inwardly projecting flanges for receiving the marginalfire-brick of said floor to determine the plane of said floor.

16. In an incinerator structure, angularly related side walls ofrefractory material forming a combustion chamber; a top closure for saidchamher having a flue connection therein; corner castings'each havingmeans abutting contact with adjacent vertical-edge portions of saidwalls and flanges overlapping the outer marginal edges of said walls;adjustable tie rods connecting diagonally opposite corner. castings attheir upper and lower ends and securing said castings and combustionchamber walls in a rigid'assembly; and vertically spaced inwardly'anddownwardly inclined air injection openings in said corner castingsadapted'by reason of the'draft through said flue connection to injecthigh velocity streams of combustion air inwardly and downwardlythroughout the entire area of'said come bustion chamber.

17. The incinerator of claim 16 whereineach ofsaid' combustion chamberwalls comprises a plurality of' superposed courses of fire-brick havingsoft, asbestos, sealing strips disposed between the abutment faces ofadjacent brick, between the vertical edge portions of said walls and theabutting means of said corner castings, and betweentheupper edges ofsaid walls and said top closure whereby upon adjustment of said tierodsthe corner castings and the individual brick of the combustionwallsare embedded in said sealing strips thereby providing agas tightcombustion chamber.

18- The combination defined in claim l6 wherein-said. air injectionopenings at their inner ends are defined by inwardly'directed,vertically spaced bosses of a length sufiicient to overlap the innervertical edges of the adjacent intersecting refractory walls therebypreventing inward movement'of. the opposite wall ends'during tighteningof said tie rods.

19. In an: incinerator structure as defined in claim- 16 wherein each ofsaid combustion chamber walls comprises a plurality of superposedcourses offire-brick with at least two'bricks in each course,reinforcing uprights each comprising rigidly connected oppositely facingchannel bars. in which the opposed ends of the fire-brick in each courseare respectively engaged.

20'. In an incinerator structure as defined-in in one of said walls isengaged; certain of said corner castings being provided with verticallyspaced air injection openings; tie rods connecting diagonally oppositecorner castings at their upper and lower ends and retaining saidcastings and combustion chamber walls in a rigid assembly'; a floorplate directly supported upon. the lower tie rods; and a fire-brickfloor for the com"- bustion chamber supported upon said floor plate.

22. In an incinerator structure as defined in claim 21, said uprightchannel bars having the lower ends of their side flanges. bowedoutwardly to receive there between channel footings extending' inopposite directions a distance less. than a single brick length, and'abed of asbestos-cement grout for the floor brick covering the floorplate.

ROBERT E. ZAHN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 45,982 Dodge Jan. 24, 1865 48,542Flagg 'July 4, 1865:

406,679 Wallenbeck July 9, 1889 499,892 Schmidt June 20, 1893 1,919,008Cheviron July 18, 1933 1,985,962. Triggs Jan. 1, 1935

